Game Review: Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom

By Rae

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Hello new and old friends alike! You can call me Rae, I’m a nerd of many interests and an otome game enthusiast who has been here for far too long. In less than two years, the 20th anniversary of Yo-Jin-Bo, my first otoge, will happen and wow am I not ready to admit that... But that is not why we are here today! We are here to celebrate a remake of a remake with a shiny new translation that doesn’t have the characters saying some out of pocket stuff! 

Hakuoki, the 2008 otome game that set a fire in many folks hearts. This is the game that dominated the English speaking otome community and became the “everyone and their mother has played it” game. Originally released for the PlayStation 2, you were able to romance one of the six dashing men available. It’s booming popularity got the series multiple spin-offs, a prequel, a TV anime, movies, a stage play, and most importantly for the gamers: a remake that added so much new content, they had to make two games (Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms) to handle the six new suitors and other new content. 

Personally, I had only ever played the original game so picking up this definitive version of both games in one was a treat. Without spoiling too much, here is a short review!   

Story

Meet the remarkable men of the Shinsengumi once again in this revised release of Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom! In this Visual Novel, you play as Chizuru Yukimura, a young girl from Edo in search of her father. As you explore the melancholic times of Japan’s Bakumatsu period, you get to guide her choices and possible romances. Find your place amongst the turbulent group quickly, or face the consequences of a bad end! 

With this remastered translation, the previously split games combine into one that plays smoothly through an entire route. There are twelve main romance routes and soooo many side routes and endings to stumble upon. With so many handsome men to fall for, who will win your heart first?

Sound

There is nothing I love more than listening to amazing voice actors allowed to use their full range of emotions. Each voice is perfectly cast, and can switch up from happy fun time to screaming in despair. Absolutely amazing voices all around. We love the replay line function here. No one stood out as an outlier, and even side characters felt alive. 

The cast includes:
Toshizou Hijikata - Shinichiro Miki (James - Pokemon, Yuzuki Murakumo - 7’scarlet, Blade - Honkai: Star Rail)
Souji Okita - Shotaro Morikubo (Shikamaru Nara - Naruto, Reiji Kotobuki - UtaPri, Impey Barbicane - Code:Realize)
Chikage Kazama - Kenjiro Tsuda (Kento Nanami - JJK, Overhaul - MHA, Hanzo Hattori - Nightshade)

I’m the type of person to immediately go into settings to turn sound effects and background music very low. I highly dislike sudden loud sound effects, and some games have the background music louder than the voice actors, which never made sense to me. Despite the age of the game, nothing sounded dated or crunchy. The background music was average, and didn’t lend well to certain scenes. Why are we playing the same song someone died to during an intimate moment? This caused some whiplash for me. I wouldn’t be able to tell you which track I liked the most, as most of it was relatively forgettable. The OP and ED songs are nice, but once again, not very memorable to me.

Visuals

For a game originally from 2008, the visuals aged stunningly well. I believe the blinking animations and the snow/petal effects were added when the game split into two in 2017. The affection meter pop-up thing is still kind of ugly, when possible I turn those off.

The stylization of the game lends well to the tone and none of the movements felt laggy or out of place. There is a soft paperlike effect/filter over the entire game, which I personally love. Every CG I obtained was just gorgeous and really fit the situation, allowing the player to become immersed. There is an outfit/style change in the middle of the story, however it is properly explained and feels like a natural progression. 

I won’t forgive the character designer and main artist, Kazuki Yone (Hakuoki, Kamigami no Asobi, and Hiiro no Kakera), for cutting the long, glorious hair off the boys. LET MY BOYS HAVE LONG HAIR IN WESTERN CLOTHES!

Conclusion

With two games from 2017 put into one with a brand new translation that flows far better than the original, all for the price of $49.99, I would absolutely say Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom is worth full price for old and new fans alike. I played the original 2008 game and this one is a wonderful upgrade that elevates the enjoyment of the player.

Check Out Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom on Nintnedo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/hakuoki-chronicles-of-wind-and-blossom-switch/

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Story: A
Sound (Voice Cast): A+++++
Sound (OST): C+
Art & Visual Design: A

Overall Score: B+

Pros:
+ Updated localization that fits the story and characters much better than the original translation. There are barely any grammar mistakes and none of the characters say things that feel out of place. I would whole-heartedly suggest this to new players over the old translation.
+ Two games together that flow together like one game. This is awesome for brand new players, while also making it easier to navigate for those who are replaying it.
+ Menu and select screens are BEAUTIFUL and I could stare for hours. I adore the use of colors and thematic decorations. It’s a very interactive menu and I would love to see such extravagance in more otoge.
+ Hajime Saito. No other words needed. 

Cons:
- Some CGs are used over and over again with new backgrounds. Looking at you Hijikata blood drinking CG.
- Besides a few specific character routes (blessed Sano happy family ending), most of the endings were bittersweet or straight up sad. If you like angst, this might actually be a positive for you. 
Chizuru was done dirty in a lot of scenes. There were far too many scenes where I thought, “Is the MC even needed here? Why I am here?” They explicitly state she is able to protect herself to some extent and had an entire scene with Kondou as a training arc, yet that info is completely irrelevant to the plot at large. 
- No harem ending. Listen, I’ll give this one a pass for it’s age, but more otoge need a fun harem ending. Does it fit the theme? No. Would it have been fun to have an ending where everyone is alive and wants to love on you? That’s a silly question.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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